Page 56 of Merry Fake Bride

My heart skips a beat. “Wait…”

“As much as I would love to have you on our insurance,” Dad says quietly, “I’m happy your bills were paid because this is for us. Your mother and I are getting on in our years so the cost of the premium is going up.”

“By six hundred dollars a month?” The cost is eyewatering. “What exactly do they think you will be getting up to in your retirement that it costs this much?”

“It’s just how things are,” Dad mutters, and his face falls. “I’ve been on the phone with them for days trying to sort this,explaining who we are and what we do, but they keep telling me that it’s in line with expectations and trends, and a whole host of other bullshit I don’t understand. So I’ve been trying to take myself off the insurance so that it’s just for your mother.”

“Dad…” My heart shatters as I lower the letter.

His face crumples but he hides it behind his hand. “With the rent increase, and now the insurance and having to pay for our own ingredients without the discount from a supplier… It's tough, Devon. Really tough.”

Abandoning the letter, I move around the desk and immediately pull him into a hug. “This is bullshit. Let me talk to them. I’ll sort this.”

“You can’t,” he says, patting my elbow gently. “I was speaking to our lawyer about it, and remortgaging the house is the only option. We can get a good deal and small monthly payments, and then the money we get from the house can cover the rent and insurance increases.”

“But that money won’t last forever, Dad. That’s not a solution.”

“Not a long-term one, but even Silver Canopy has drastically lowered their offer, sweetie. Not that I’m thinking about selling, but it’s painful seeing our life’s work be reduced like this.”

I’m at a loss for words.

Words of sympathy won’t make this better and I have nothing to offer that will do anything more than delay the impending doom.

“Don’t take yourself off the insurance.” I gently kiss the top of his head. “It will be okay, I promise.”

“Devon…”

“Go to bed. It’s late. Get some rest, Dad. I know what to do.”

“But Devon?—”

“Dad.” Our gazes meet as I stand. “Please, trust me on this. I have a solution that will fix all of our problems.”

He squints up at me and sighs. “Do you have some millions stashed away that we don’t know about?”

Kairo’s face drifts through my thoughts and I smile. “Something like that. Now, please, go to bed. You’ll be exhausted in the morning.”

His bones creak, and he groans softly as he pushes himself up from the chair. “I’m sorry to put this on you.”

“Bed. Go.”

He chuckles softly and pats my arm as he passes. “You need to rest, too.”

“I’ll go in a sec. Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

I fall into his vacated chair as he leaves the office, then I track his movements through the snap of floorboards in the hall and the creak of the stairs as he climbs.

Once the house falls silent, I’m satisfied he’s gone to bed.

I pull out my phone.

It’s just one thing after the other and ignoring Kairo’s offer for my own benefit is one thing.

But I can’t stand by while everything my parents worked for is snatched away.

Kairo’s phone rings three times but instead of the robotic voicemail, it’s his own voice that fills my ears a moment later.